What's Gotten Into American Idol?

American Idol has been on the air for eleven years now. Some would say it has dragged on long enough with the new similar shows “The X Factor” and “The Voice”. These newer singing competitions seem to be more focused on giving ‘nobodies’ the chance to change their lives and make something of themselves.  Has American Idol changed from a singing competition to some sort of talk-show? Is the show focusing too much on the quirky people who audition instead of the talent that’s out there?

In Response to Christine's Post: "Comcast's New Streampix"

"Do you think Comcast will be able to compete against Netflix who already has a solid base of customers?  Is their simple marketing strategy of making their product less than Netflix enough to make them successful?"

I am not a user of Netflix or Comcast Xfinity, so I’m no expert on the benefits of either program. But knowing what Netflix provides and what Comcast is attempting to provide, I can see Comcast being able to compete with Netflix fairly. I feel that with Comcast having the lower price and essentially offering the same thing will cause many Netflix customers to switch companies. I also think it was a great move on Comcast’s part to make the Streampix free for existing Comcast clients. If anything, that will help deter people from ever signing up for Netflix. Are there other markets that have up-and-coming competitors?